“I will. I promise.” Kate closed her eyes and lowered her chin for emphasis.
…
Ned finished playing a round of ‘What time is it, Mr. Wolf?’ with the younger kids and then readied them for ghost stories before bed. The older kids were playing cards on hay bales, but they jumped when they heard about the upcoming spooky tales. Luke and Denise sat holding hands while the stories were told with flashlights, illuminating their faces in the darkness of the barn.
The cattle had been moved and the stalls cleaned. The bales of hay were lined up and dressed in sleeping bags and pillows. This after they jumped from the loft into the bales, screaming with glee. They piled the bales neatly, fixing the ones on the loft so the other smaller children could sleep comfortably.
Luke fell asleep with the older kids, to Denise’s chagrin. Lisa Stainer happily slept beside her instead. Kevin Martin, Jenny Martin’s son, offered to sleep in the bale next to Luke. Denise watched Luke sleep soundlessly on the hay bale as Ned approached her.
“Now I know ya want Luke to sleep with ya darlin’, but there’s always next time.” Ned pulled her sleeping bag up to her chin. “Ya know I love ya more ‘n the moon an’ the stars, don’t ya?” For that he received a kiss on the end of his nose.
Ned made sure he left the floodlight on outside the barn. “Lord keep ‘em safe ‘til mornin’. Amen,” he prayed, closing the door. Both the Bakers stood vigil outside the barn on a bistro table. They didn’t leave until they heard the last whisper and giggle.
“I’m gonna go tuck the cattle ‘n horses in,” Ned said. “I won’t be long.”
Kate went inside, preparing everything for the morning. The stars shone brightly as the crickets chirped and the odd bullfrog called for a mate.
The horses were rubbed down vigorously as Ned checked the stalls, making sure everything was in order for horseback riding tomorrow. He bent down to pick up a large heap of hay when he was suddenly struck on the side of his head. As he stumbled and fell, his cheek touched the cold stable floor. The last thing he saw as he drifted into unconsciousness was a bright red hunter’s cap floating down beside his face.
…
Kate prepared pancake batter and freshly cut fruit for breakfast as she hummed a familiar tune playing from her clock radio on the window sill. As she closed the fridge door, she was startled by a bang coming from the back of the house. The patio doors leading to the small postage-stamp shaped yard were opened as the sound became louder. Sliding open the glass door, she looked into the darkness and was suddenly hit on the head from the side and knocked out.
…
Denise lay in a dreamless sleep. Rainy Day bear was clutched tightly in her left arm; her face was barely visible under the adult-sized sleeping bag. She awoke suddenly to a strange noise. Lifting her head she realized she’d been left alone in the loft. Her heart began to pound as she looked down and saw all the other children sleeping on the hay bales by Luke.
Feeling chilled, Denise grabbed Lisa Stainer’s sleeping bag that she’d left in the loft. Wrapping it around her she felt instantly comforted and drifted back to sleep.
What seemed like moments later she was awakened by the pungent odor of smoke.
Chapter 18
The smoke made the room appear decorated for Halloween with lights and dry ice. The glass inside the door leading to the conservatory glowed orange. The other children lay asleep on the hay bales. Denise’s heart pounded in her ears as she pushed out a breath futilely. It made no noise. Kevin Martin was the first to wake. His eyes widened as he began nudging the friend beside him to wake up. The smoke thickened suddenly, choking the others awake. Luke lay in the smallest heap, sleeping soundly as they exited the building, forgetting about him and the silent girl above.
Panicking, she reached for the flashlight nestled under the covers and threw it toward Luke. Her aim was terrible; she missed. Denise whimpered, hearing a soft croak in her throat. The fire licked through the small gap between the wooden door and the frame. Luke hadn’t moved. The thought of losing Luke was too much to bear. She had to save him. Her cold feet touched the first wrung of the ladder and she trembled. What if the fire gets me? What if it’s a big fire monster behind the door, and he’s just waiting for me to climb down so he can catch me?
The bedtime story about a fire-breathing dragon rang in her memory as her imagination forced her to let go of the ladder. Dripping from the door frame the flames became more intense. Helplessly, Denise recited, in her head, the only prayer she knew by heart:
Our father, who art in heaven…
As she closed her eyes to pray, a loud whistle startled her. It sounded like Kate’s tea kettle boiling, when it forced steam through the whistle on the spout. Tears pricked behind her eyes as she fought to gather air in her lungs despite her gasping from fear and smoke. With her eyes sealed shut, Denise tried to will the fire away, when suddenly her eyes widened as the glass window exploded, sending flames shooting through, far too close to Luke and the hay bales below.
Her chest heaved up and down as she drew in the biggest breath she could muster and screamed as loud as she could. “Luke! Luke! Luuuuukkkkkke!” Glass shards sprayed down toward him as she bellowed again. “Waaaaakkkkeee uuuuuppppp!!!” Luke only stirred. Denise doubled over as the veins in her neck and temples bulged, sending the loudest shriek she could manage to her best friend. “Luuuukkkkeeeee!!!! Ffffiiiiiirrreeee!!!”
…
Sherry tossed in bed with each passing hour. By two o’clock in the morning, she gave up and went downstairs for tea. Standing by the counter holding her cup, waiting for the kettle to boil, she could hear the faint shriek of sirens. The cup dropped from her hand unexpectedly as a shiver ran down her spine. After hearing the ceramic mug shatter, Gertrude and Kenny darted out of bed. Kenny was the first to reach her. “W…what’s wrong, darlin’? You okay?” he asked, alarmed yet sleepy.
Gertrude joined them in the kitchen, tying her robe while yawning. They stood by the open kitchen door. “Sounds like more than one,” Gertrude commented groggily, grabbing the broom and dustpan from the corner of the room.
Sherry sensed Kenny’s worry by his pursed lips, confirming her own feeling of dread. When a third siren came from a distance Sherry closed her eyes tightly. “I’ll get the keys,” Kenny said. “Gertie, you stay here,” he ordered. Sherry ran, pajamas and all, to the car.
…
The stable, conservatory, and barn were engulfed in flames. The horses whinnied and jumped in terror. Alan ordered his men to go free the horses and cattle while the others tended to the rest of the farm. Lee ran into the stable with his oxygen tank active while he unhitched the latch for the animals. He managed to free the horses, but the cows were more reluctant since the fire was spreading fast behind them.
Coaxing one of the cows out, he stumbled over something on the floor. Ned lay there on his back, unconscious. Lee yelled out for back-up and two other men came. One worked to douse the fire while the other shepherded the rest of the cattle and horses out to safety.
“We need an ambulance! We’ve got a man down!” Lee screeched as loud as he could at Alan.
“They’re on the way!” Alan yelled back.
Putting his ear to Ned’s chest, Lee heard a heartbeat. A gash on the side of his head was bleeding heavily, creating a valley of blood all over his face and neck. Looking up, Lee saw the fire and smoke getting closer. “Give me a hand here!” Lee ordered.
Together they lifted Ned outside the barn. Ned’s eyes fluttered open. “Just relax, Ned. We’re gettin’ things under control,” Lee said. “Don’t try to talk. Save yer strength.”
An ambulance arrived, tending to Ned on site. His eyes widened as they lifted him onto the emergency vehicle, catching a glimpse of his home and livelihood up in flames. Moments later, as they inserted an intravenous drip, he once again lost consciousness.
“We need paramedics in here, STAT!” Alan suddenly shouted as he discovered Kate’s body lying on the back pati
o. Blood was pooled around her head and her neck was tipped as though broken.
Lee was suddenly struck with incomprehensible panic as he recalled Sherry mentioning the annual barn sleepover. Denise! Running inside the house first he found a dozen kids huddled in a corner of the living room, scared to death. “I found ‘em here and told ‘em to hang tight ‘til we get in touch with their folks,” Greg Lambert, one of the firefighters, explained.
Surveying the children he observed that none were hurt. He looked for the little seven year old among them but to no avail. His heart pounded in his chest as he dashed out back, running with Greg Lambert in tow. Opening the door to the conservatory, Lee heard screaming and looked upward into the loft. Denise stood erect with her arms tense by her sides as she shrieked loud enough to wake the dead. “Luuuukkkkkkeeee!!! Luke wake up!”
Lee’s eyes darted over to the hay bales where he saw a small heap amongst the sleeping bags. Flames and shards of glass were mere feet away from the slumbering child. Running to Luke, Lee looked at the wooden door, knowing he had seconds before the thing would give out.
He shouted up to Denise. “I’ll come get ya! Stay right there!”
Her hands and knees trembled so bad she could barely stand. Lee scooped Luke up and passed him to Greg, who sprinted out of the conservatory just before the wooden door folded, allowing smoke to barrel uncontrollably into the room. Lee lifted his hands up to his face defensively as Denise screamed again. Taking a quick breath, Lee ran to the ladder against the thick smoke. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’m comin’ up now,” he said as he climbed the rungs. When he reached the top, Denise fearfully recoiled. His face was beaded with sweat and grime behind the visor and helmet.
“It’s me, Denise. It’s Lee. Everything’s gonna be okay.” He scooped her up, wrapping the sleeping bag around her both for warmth and protection from the fire below.
“That’s right, I’ve gotcha. Easy now.” He carefully walked down the ladder.
The fire made its way to the hay bales where the kids had been sleeping, burning up all the sleeping bags and melting the remaining flashlights. Denise began to cry as Lee ran through the room with the bundled, terrified young girl in his arms.
“I want my momma!” she bellowed as Lee ran to the door, exiting the building. “We’ll get yer m…” Lee was in shock. He looked down at her in surprise. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
…
The wheels of the Eldorado sped across the asphalt as Kenny neared Baker’s Farm. “Oh my god!” Sherry cried out. She could see the fire from the side of the road. Kenny barely hit the brake pedal when Sherry ripped out of the car, running towards the burning farm house.
There were handfuls of firemen peppered around the farm, all milling about, feverishly working to put the fire out and to bring the animals and people to safety. When Sherry spotted the fireman’s coat with ‘Givens’ scrawled on the bottom, she ran. Lee was one of the few firemen without his helmet on. He stood there, grinning at a large bundle in his arms that Sherry prayed was Denise. “Oh, my baby!” she cried.
Lee released Denise. Her bare feet touched the ground as she embraced her mother tearfully. “Oh, darlin’, are you okay?” she asked, loosening her grip slightly so she could get a look at her daughter.
“I’m okay, momma,” Denise whimpered.
“Oh, thank Go…” Sherry’s eyes widened. Denise was indifferent, like she didn’t do anything special. The young widow’s mouth was wide open as she shot a look of disbelief at Lee and he nodded.
“She said she wanted her momma.” His head was cocked to the side, his face twisted in a smile.
The woman grasped her daughter’s face with both hands, kissing her tenderly on both cheeks and then she looked up to the sky. Inhaling deeply she let the tears flow down the sides of her face as she took Denise in her arms, lifting her high then pulling her close, as if it would be the last time she’d ever hold her baby again. “Oh, thank you Lord, thank you for bringing me my baby back,” she whispered.
Chapter 19
Kate was hooked up to a saline drip and a heart monitor. Sherry listened to the beep and wheeze of the machines as the old woman slept soundly. Two floors away, Ned lay in intensive care due to a stroke suffered during the attack, among other injuries.
Alan found Reggie’s hat at the scene; fingerprinted a nearby suspicious gas can, and arranged to have tire tracks tested for a match to Reggie’s vehicle. All perpetrators had been put behind bars thanks to quick work by Sheriff Douglas and his team, who caught the suspects just as they were about to cross the state line to Louisiana.
Damage to the farm hadn’t been tallied. They knew for sure the conservatory was destroyed, along with the latter half of the horse stables, but the barn could possibly be salvaged. Thankfully the house was untouched, Ned and Kate could return home at least.
Kate awakened with a start. “How ya feelin’?” Sherry asked softly.
Lifting a hand to her head she answered. “Headache.”
“I’ll get the doctor.”
“No. No.” Kate’s voice was a whisper. “Go check on Ned.”
“I only checked on him twenty minutes ago, love. Ain’t no change.” She paused. “I went to the chapel this mornin’ and prayed for him, Kate. I’ll keep doin’ it as much as I can, I promise.”
Kate smiled weakly and looked down. “He’s all I’ve got, Sherry. I need him.”
Sherry walked briskly to Kate’s side. “I know, sweetie. I’m prayin’ as hard as I can. My folks are prayin’, Alan’s prayin’, Lee’s prayin’, Reverend Telly’s got the entire congregation prayin’ for him. All we can do is trust in God.”
“You should go get some rest. Ya look tired.”
“I’m fine, Kate. My folks are bringin’ Denise over to see Ned.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “Y…ya can’t let the youngin’ see him in there. It’ll terrify her to death.”
“Kate, just wait until she gets here.” Sherry placed a hand on Mrs. Baker’s leg. “Trust me.”
Moments later there was a knock on the door. Kenny and Gertrude walked in with Denise in tow.
“How ya feelin’, Katie?” Gertrude asked.
“Other than this headache, I’m fine.” Kate looked at Denise, who was watching the intravenous machine drip beside the bed. “Now, don’t be afraid of that, dear. It’s just a special kinda water they’re fillin’ me up with.”
Denise looked at Kate and furrowed her brow. “Are ya thirsty?” she asked, plain as day.
Kate’s neck craned back. Her face lit up and her eyes darted to Sherry’s, who winked at the old, stunned woman. Denise looked at Kate expectantly. Mrs. Baker took Denise’s hand in hers and answered. “Well, as a matter-of-fact I am, darlin’. Why don’t ya go grab me a drink from that paper cup dispenser over there?”
Denise walked over to the metal sink on the opposite side of the bed while the adults exchanged grins. “The good Lord sure works in strange ways,” Kate commented.
“Amen to that.” Kenny tipped his hat.
“Why don’t y’all take Denise up to visit Ned?” Kate suggested.
“I’ll stay with ya,” Gertrude offered, opening her purse and handing Denise a small picture book.
“We won’t be too long,” Sherry said as Kenny and Denise exited before her.
…
Kenny pushed the button for the fifth floor as Sherry lead Denise into the elevator. There was a small illustration for each of the floor numbers on a strip of lights above the elevator door. The fifth floor was simply given the words ‘I.C.U.’ yet all the others had cheery pictures like babies, casts with cute lettering, a vignette resembling the ‘operation’ game and a small heart with a frown.
“Now Ned’s gonna look a little strange darlin’, but don’t be scared, okay?” Sherry explained. “Momma and grampa are gonna be right with ya, we’re not leavin’ for a second.”
Denise nodded. “’Kay.”
The elevator pinged and they disembarked. They were g
reeted by a nurse whose nametag read ‘Heather’. Heather saw Denise and bent down to her level. “And who’s this little sweetheart?”
“This is my daughter, Denise. She and Ned’s been real close. We was hopin’ she could have a visit if it’s okay.”
Heather nodded. “Sure. But just two at a time and only for five minutes, okay?”
“I’ll stay back,” Kenny offered, sitting in the chair outside the room.
Walking into the room, Sherry held Denise’s hand. Surprisingly, all the beeps and wheezes of the machines didn’t faze the little girl. Denise walked right over to Ned and took his hand in hers. His chest rose and fell with the ventilator.
“He still not breathin’ on his own?” Sherry asked.
“Not yet, darlin’,” Heather frowned.
Sherry watched Denise examine Ned’s face, like she was making sure it was him.
“His oxygen levels are good, but that gash on his head’s sure not helpin’,” Heather said frankly. “We’ve got him on meds to reverse the stroke, but his brain’s still a little swollen.”
Sherry took the seat next to Ned, allowing Denise to stand directly beside him.
Raising her book, Denise stammered. “I…I brought a book about…teddy bears.”
Rubbing her daughter’s arm, Sherry silently encouraged her to read it to him like she’d wanted to. Denise opened the book and when she began reading, Sherry listened to her, awestruck. The little girl read aloud like she’d been doing it all her life. The tears streamed down the young widow’s cheeks. Heather brought a tissue box and patted her arm. “Are ya okay?” she whispered, careful not to disturb Denise.
“I’m more than okay,” Sherry beamed. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard my daughter read.”
She Only Speaks to Butterflies Page 18